


Storming the LA office

by Amethyst_Elf



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, I Don't Even Know, Idiots in Love, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:07:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25287316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amethyst_Elf/pseuds/Amethyst_Elf
Summary: After two weeks of unreturned calls, Peggy takes matters into her own hands and tries something a little less avoidable.
Relationships: Peggy Carter/Daniel Sousa
Comments: 6
Kudos: 32





	Storming the LA office

It had been two and half weeks since Daniel Sousa had left New York and, as much as Peggy Carter wanted to deny it, she missed him. After the end of the Stark case, they worked together better than ever. They laughed and chatted like nothing ever happened but there was always a strange raincloud drifting above their heads after she turned down Daniel's offer of drinks.

Peggy did ask him out eventually, not for drinks but for a nice breakfast at a nearby diner after a taxing night shift. That one outing became many, and they began spending more time together outside of work, maybe spending their lunch breaks together or grabbing a drink after a boring day (or an exciting one). Nothing more came of these outings, with that ever persistent storm cloud determined to snuff out whatever relationship they could have started together.

Then Thompson announced that Daniel would soon become Chief Sousa of the Los Angeles SSR bureau. Peggy was obviously happy for him, he was finally being rewarded for his continued hard work, but her heart sunk slightly at the news. She congratulated him with her colleagues and attended the small celebration they held at the pub down the street. Peggy waited until she could leave without it seeming rude, excusing herself under the guise of feeling a little under the weather. She hailed a cab, much to Mr Jarvis' dismay, to take her back to her and Angie's shared apartment.

She had expected Angie to be asleep at that hour, but instead found her lounging in an armchair reading a book. She took one look at her roommate, put down her book and went to grab a bottle of schnapps to share. Angie always had the innate ability to figure out what someone was feeling from a single look.

That next week seemed almost like a return to their old awkwardness for Daniel and Peggy. He spent the majority of it tying up loose ends in New York and finding someone to hand his ongoing case over to while she did nothing but work. She was the first to arrive in the morning and the last to leave at night, often staying until well after the night shift began.

They didn't talk much during that week, but Peggy would sometimes be shaken out of her work induced stupor by the smell of a hot cup of tea on her desk. She had no doubt it was Daniel who was the mysterious tea-gifter, but whenever she looked up to thank him, she was greeted by an empty chair two desks in front.

On the day of his departure, Peggy was the last person to see him off. She had been debating whether or not to go at all but eventually decided it was better if she did. They said their goodbyes, ending the exchange with a handshake (which lasted a tad too long to just be friendly), and he boarded his plane to the west coast.

It had been two and a half weeks since Daniel left for LA and it was driving Peggy crazy. It was the little things that she missed the most about Daniel Sousa: the way he'd run his hand through his hair when faced with a tricky problem or the way he'd tuck his pen behind his ear when comparing a few different files. Sometimes she'd make the mistake of bringing up an inside joke in a talk with another agent before realising they wouldn't understand the sheer hilarity of it. Sometimes she'd look up as someone entered the break room and mentally scold herself for being so hopeful.

Peggy had tried calling the LA office several times but he never answered. She really did miss him and finally, she decided to do something about it.

"Chief Thompson?" she asked, cracking open the door to his office a little. "Might I have a word?"

"Sure Carter what is it?" he replied.

She sat herself down in the adjacent chair and took a breath. There was no going back now. "I would like to take a few vacation days."

At this Jack raised an eyebrow. "Who are you and what have you done with Marge? She wouldn't even take vacation if the world was ending."

"Oh very funny Jack. But I'm being serious I want to take a few days vacation."

"You mean right now? Even though you've just had a break in the search for Underwood?"

"Yes I mean right now. Dottie won't be going anywhere in 3 days. Besides, I'll be back before you know it."

"Okay sure then, you can have 3 days, but I want you back and working double after that. Clear?"

"As cystal."

She was almost to the door when Jack spoke up again. "Hey Marge, once you and Sousa are done staring heart eyes at each other, tell him I've got something the lab techs dug up that could be a lead in his case on the way over to him."

Peggy opened her mouth to speak but promptly closed it at the knowing look he shot her over the top of his file. "Will do Chief."

She'd had her bags packed since two days before and would have taken her little trip to LA regardless of whether or not her vacation days were approved. Angie, who accompanied her to the airport, drowned her in a hug the moment the attendant called for boarding and made her promise to call.

Her plane landed in Los Angeles at around 3 in the afternoon and hailed a cab to take her to the Auerbach Theatrical Agency. As she stepped out of the car, an obviously disheartened man with a ventriloquist puppet passed her exiting the Agency.

She stepped through the front door and without looking up from her newspaper, Rose answered her presence with a painfully cheerful: "Welcome to the Auerbach Theatrical Agency! How can I help you on this fine afternoon?"

"Los Angeles sure is different to New York Rose," Peggy replied, leaning slightly on her small suitcase.

"I didn't know you were in LA Peg. What a lovely surprise!" Rose replied, looking up and beaming at the British agent in front of her. "You here on official business?"

"Hmm? Oh no I'm not actually. I came to visit Daniel if that's alright."

"Of course that's alright. I'll show you through now." She took Peggy's luggage and tucked it under her desk. "So you don't have to lug it around up there," she reasoned, patting the handle.

Rose strolled past and opened the secret doorway to the SSR office. "First door on your right for Chief, Peggy. How long are you here for?"

"Not long I'm afraid. 3 days was the most I could get out Chief Thompson."

"Ah that's a shame. Well, if you have time you have to visit the beach and there's an Italian place a few blocks away that's does an absolutely amazing beef stroganoff."

"I'll bear it in mind Rose," Peggy replied. Turning on her heel up into the office.

The steady click clack of her heels resounded throughout the room as she entered the bullpen, drawing a few curious glances and she breathed a small sigh of relief seeing Daniel in his office. Peggy knocked sharply on his door, reading his official title on the door and feeling a swell of pride for him. He stared at her wordlessly as she shut it behind her and moved to sit down.

"So you do have a phone! I was beginning to worry that the electricians had done a shoddy job with the wiring," she quipped, leaning back in her chair.

Daniel blinked once, twice, three times before words came to him. "Peg? What are you- how?"

"Well the how is quite simple really, I got on a plane and flew. As for what, well you didn't return my calls so I decided to take matters into my own hands and try something less avoidable."

Daniel opened his mouth to reply but Peggy cut him off. "No, you were not too busy. You managed to call Jack at least 6 times since you left and if you can find time to call that arse, you can find time to call me."

He sighed and drummed his fingers on the desk lightly. "Listen Peg, I'm sorry. I just- I don't know. I'm trying to find a justification for ignoring you but nothing comes to mind. At least nothing I want to mention."

His last statement was murmured at a barely audible level and Peggy almost didn't hear him. Almost.

"You do know you can talk to me about whatever you want Daniel," she reasoned. "But if you really don't want me here, I'm more than happy to return to New York."

"No Peg it's good to see you, really. I take it Thompson didn't send you over for business then?"

"I came entirely of my own accord. Three days holiday was the most I could get without Jack blowing a fuse," Peggy replied, chuckling. "Although he did say he had something that could be of use to you for the case you're working on. He didn't mention what it was though."

Daniel nodded in response and thumbed through the file on his desk as they fell into a comfortable silence for a moment or two. He was the first to break the silence with a question. "So.. you got anything planned for your stay?"

"Hm?" she answered, turning back to him after thoroughly surveying the office. "No, not really. Although on the way in Rose suggested a trip to the beach and an Italian place a few blocks away from here."

"It appears Rose's good taste is as evident as always. It's called il buon cibo and it's down on Fourth Avenue." He mulled something over for a moment before continuing. "I think the office can survive without me for a few hours this evening. What do you say you meet me back here at about 6 and we can go out and have a look around?"

"It's a date then," Peggy confirmed, rising from her seat, suppressing a smile after seeing the red tinge growing on his ears. "I'll meet you back downstairs later Daniel."

A triumphant Peggy Carter retrieved her suitcase from Rose and bade her farewell with a new spring in her step. That raincloud could kick up as much fuss as it wanted, but this was LA, and the sun would always shine in the end.

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came to me at about 2 in the morning (as most good ideas do) and absolutely had to write it. These guys will forever have my heart and I will go down with this ship.


End file.
